


Slave of the Tower

by Yumiinyaa



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Romance, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awkward Romance, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fairy Tale Retellings, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Master/Slave, Rapunzel Elements, Retelling, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Slavery, Slow Burn, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:41:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27462103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yumiinyaa/pseuds/Yumiinyaa
Summary: “Don’t think, Morgiana.” He smiled softly, “Feel.” He concluded.Feel? Was she capable? Morgiana raised a shaky hand, clutching at her chest, where her heart resided. No, was she allowed to think for herself? So many times she did and earned nothing but pain. It scarred her for life she no longer thought it was worth it.But. But if it was okay to wish for something, then…"──dom." Morgiana muttered, more to herself than to Alibaba, who leant a bit and asked her to repeat because he missed that. Morgiana glanced up, but was too afraid to speak up again.All it took was a reassuring smile from him.She took a deep breath, "I want to be free."
Relationships: Morgiana & Alibaba Saluja, Morgiana/Alibaba Saluja
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Me: Hey, you know retellings? I kinda wanna write one for my favs.  
> Sis: Rapunzel and Alimor?  
> Me: *opens laptop* OH THIS HAS TO ACTUALLY HAPPEN! 
> 
> And thus this story was born, lmao. I love retellings! I have been reading so many lately that I felt it would be nice to write one myself.  
> This story won't mention any spoilers from the series, as it's a completely different universe. Of course, even those who are not familiar with Magi will still have no trouble reading this fic! Consider it a fairytale of a slave and how her life changed after meeting someone special. Also, I did not change Alibaba & Morgianas' personalities to match Rapunzel and Eugenes'! Hence why my story is a bit heavier (I mean slavery + abuse = you get the point).
> 
> To sum it up, my story will have the very basic elements of Rapunzel. You know, being trapped in a tower, having special power, (that was not supposed to rhyme hmm..) etc. Plot-wise, the main points of Rapunzel were fulfilled as well, but in a different kind of way. This is a retelling after all. I wanted everything to make sense, so you will notice I have changed a couple of things to match Morgiana's background. (Psst, Morgiana's master in this fic is originally a male in the series, (he wasn't "really" her master btw) and I needed a female as the "mother-figure" so...)
> 
> This is a 4 chapters long fic. I have the full story written and ready to be published. However, I prefer to post one chapter at a time. So, yeah just so you know, this is a complete story but chapters will be published weekly. 
> 
> Any feedback is much appreciated! Your support, even if tiny, will encourage me for sure! Thank you in advance for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

A young girl with bright pink hair stood by the window of a tall bricked tower. The sky she was observing in awe streaked with reds and oranges, turning the whole view into a beautiful sunset. This was part of her simple daily routine. Perhaps more like a ritual she was subjected to. Regardless, the delightful scenery the rays of the sun painted in the sky was too lovely that she never got bored of staring at it. This lonely tower in the middle of nowhere was the only place she could call home, despite the difficult circumstances she was living under. There were so many disadvantages to count. Nevertheless, she managed to find things she liked and was grateful for.

“Oh Morgiana dear! Lower your hair.”

Morgiana was startled. She bent downwards to scan the area for the source behind that voice, causing the chains hugging her ankles in a not-so-warm way to clank in response to her sudden movement. A silver haired woman was standing; signs of annoyance were clear on her face. It was near impossible to notice those signs but Morgiana had no difficulty due to her great eyesight. Thanks to that, she did not miss the change that occurred on the woman’s face, implying that she didn’t quite like that Morgiana was taking longer than expected to do as she had been told. Merely a couple of seconds passed after her call. Still, that did not stop the woman from shouting again, angrily this time.

“You dare to keep me wait young child!” 

Flinching, Morgiana immediately emerged inside to gather as much of her long hair as possible in order to throw it outside the window for her master to climb up. Gathering a jumble of hair in a hurry while having chains on her feet proved to be a hard task. Yet she was not about to slow down. Not now, after she unconsciously irritated the one she feared the most. The moment Morgiana tossed her hair out; she took two steps back, not to give space for her master but because she did not feel courageous enough to be near the woman when she would arrive. Her heartbeat was rising rapidly as her mind proceeded to present different images of various punishments she went through in the past for few to no valid reasons at all.

When the woman got inside, Morgiana hurried to lift her hair up again. She purposely dragged while doing so in hopes that it would give the woman enough time to calm down. Sadly, no matter how long she took to do so, the outcome was not going to change. Little did Morgiana know it only ignited the woman’s anger. The next thing Morgiana knew, she was pulled by the hair aggressively. It earned a yelp of shock from her, one she tried to prevent from coming out to no avail. The displeasure painted on her master’s face was too frightening it forced Morgiana to look away.

“Next time,” the woman spat furiously, “do not take more than 5 seconds to follow my orders,” she rocked Morgiana’s hair twice for good measures before continuing, “understand?!”

Morgiana was already drowning in fear. She thought her body got used to such treatment considering this happened millions of times before. Yet it still freaked her out to the core that she could not think straight. Instincts alone took control when the woman demanded an answer of obedience, resulting in Morgiana nodding soon after she heard the words. Satisfied, the woman pushed her away. Morgiana's body stumbled backwards from the sudden push. The chains linking her ankles did not help much, which led to her fall.

The woman tsked in annoyance. The sight of the young girl crying silently in front of her was too agitating. Even Morgiana herself did not realize she was crying until her vision got blurry from the tears. The woman heaved a sigh before crouching down. Her hand cupping Morgiana’s chin forcefully and raising it upwards so their eyes could meet. 

“I hate to treat my precious child in such a manner but you sometimes leave me no choice, dear Morgiana.” It was obvious she was attempting to speak softly like a kind mother, but that only disturbed the young girl’s nerves even further. It’s true this woman was the one who took Morgiana in after her parents’ death, for a personal gain of course. Life could have been worse but that didn’t mean her current one was any better.

“I am a bit hot-tempered, you see,” her lips formed a dishonest smile, “My client for today thought they were smart enough to delay their payment” 

She roughly let Morgiana go and stood up, scoffing in frustration as she was reminded of today.

“Of course that didn’t work on me, and I successfully took care of the matter.” 

She locked eyes with Morgiana again. Whatever method this woman used, it was definitely not a pleasant one. She was an assassin after all. Morgiana dared not to imagine what kind of fate the client had. 

“Do you get what I mean, dear?” A nod was the only kind of answer Morgiana could provide to that silent threat.

“Good. You are a clever girl.” The woman praised her.

Clapping her hands twice, she spoke, “Now dear, it is time you do your job.”

The woman crossed her arms and waited for Morgiana to stand up. The latter rushed on her feet lest she got a slap on the face for being a snail. Her legs were shaking so badly she barely managed to stand steady. What she had to do next required concentration. Because she knew that, Morgiana tried her best to calm down, pushing her fear aside even if it was temporary. She raised both hands slowly and took a deep breath before shutting her eyes. 

_“Float, float, my soul's energy_

_Engulf those in need with purity_

Suddenly, a red kind of aura similar to flames began to envelop her whole body while she chanted. Strands of her hair were rising as a consequence to the strange flames engulfing her. That was not the only thing affected by the sudden action that was taking place, as tiny specks of dust started to float, and several storage boxes shook. The ceiling light bulb flickered repeatedly one might think it was about to blow up. Smirking in excitement, the woman closed her eyes.

_“Arise, arise, flames of life_

_Envelop them with further light”_

Morgiana resumed her spell in a hush. Each word had a higher effect on the whole room than the previous one. The red flames flew towards the woman when Morgiana muttered her mantra repeatedly. If someone walked in, they might think they were on fire, but neither of the two showed any signs of discomfort or pain. After what seemed like an eternity, Morgiana lowered her hands and gasped as if she had just emerged from underwater. She continued to take in deep breaths filling her lungs as much as possible like her life depended on it. The woman, on the other hand, was beaming with content. Her joy took the form of a victorious laugh.

“No matter how many times you do it, it never ceases to amaze me! Wonderful Morgiana,” She closed the distance between them, cupping Morgiana’s cheeks with her hands, not caring in the slightest whether she had recollected herself or not, “You will always be my most treasured handy tool.”

Now that she got what she wanted and felt utterly refreshed, the woman turned around and walked towards the door. Only after she shut it behind her did Morgiana’s hectic nerves start to relax. Considering it’s night, her master wasn’t going to bother her until dawn. It gave Morgiana sometime to spend in peace and collect her shattered soul. She clinched her hands in tiny fists. Truthfully, she was desperate. Too desperate she wished to cry. That would be a sign of weakness Morgiana did not want to show though. At least not for the second time in a row. She was good at hiding her emotions anyway. Besides, the woman frightened her that fear actually outweighed everything else.

Sighing in defeat, she returned to her previous spot by the window. Tiny little sparks of light spreading in the black sky, which Morgiana did not know the name of yet, replaced the beautiful scenery of the sunset. She once asked her master about them when she was still an ignorant child, foolishly thinking she was allowed to converse with her. That only resulted in a couple of bruises on her entire body as her master claimed Morgiana had to be “ _disciplined_ ” for demanding an answer to everything that interested her. _“You are merely a tool, child!”_ was what she said. Morgiana leant over the edge of the window. The night breeze was calming and cool she kind of forgot the awfulness of her life for a second. Closing her eyes, she let the gentle breeze ease her emotional wounds. They never stop bleeding, but this would serve as a good anesthetic for now.

Morgiana was special, if the show of power minutes ago was any indication. She had this spiritual energy that could cure someone from pain and bestow gentle relief upon them. As long as they got enough of this energy from time to time, anyone could live untouched and in perfect health. Giving so much away to her master from a young age did not affect Morgiana in any bad way. However, it could drain her strength temporarily if she used her power for too long in a short period of time. Apart from that, Morgiana had a great eyesight and sense of smell. She also had an acute sense of hearing. Morgiana was a gifted child. However, she failed to grasp the reason behind her weird powers. It did not help that her master refused to explain the circumstances in which she was found years ago along with the dead bodies of her parents. A tool was not allowed to ask about the reason of its existence, apparently.

Due to the fact that she had super hearing abilities, Morgiana did not miss the cry of distress coming from deep into the forest ahead of the tower by 200 miles or so. She froze, waiting for whoever had let out that cry to emerge from the cluster of trees. Morgiana squinted her eyes for good measures. Sure enough, a young man appeared. He was running away from someone, or probably a group of people. Morgiana was not sure, but from the different shouts she had heard, she was certain it was not just one person chasing that man. He stumbled a few times soon after he was away from the treeline until he stopped moving all together. The man bent down on both knees, probably to catch his breath. Then he scanned the area nervously. His eyes lit up in content and Morgiana guessed that was because he noticed the lonely tower ahead of him. He began to run again with a clear goal in mind. Was this man planning to climb the tower to hide? That could not be it. Besides, it was near impossible to do so without a rope. Morgiana’s master chose this stairless tower specifically so no one dared to reach out for her so-called _treasured tool_. Unless… Unless Morgiana _lowered_ her hair for him.

 _No, you cannot do this!_ Morgiana scolded herself immediately. She was in no position to help those in need to begin with. And what if her master found out about this act of kindness she was thinking of doing? It sent dread down her spine. She clenched her fists, which were resting on the edge of the window, as if that would release the sudden urge taking over her.

The young man finally reached the tower. Morgiana noted the shouts of the group following him getting higher. It indicated they were close. Too close actually they might come out in less than five minutes. The man gave himself a few seconds to provide enough air for his lungs lest they stop working. Morgiana thought this was her chance to hide. One look upwards and he would notice her presence. The wise thing to do was to hurry inside and shut the window.

Of course, that could have been possible if Morgiana reacted faster. Because the moment her instincts had forced her hands to rise and clutch both doors of her window, their eyes met. It was already too late.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahahaha... This came so late *oops*   
> But yeah, chapter 2! Hope you enjoy!  
> Kudos make me happy so :'>

Bright pink hair. One look and he was completely rooted to the ground. She was so high above that he could not examine her features properly. However, that hair of hers was enough to capture his interest. He forgot for a few seconds that a bunch of angry men he purposely agitated were chasing him. Like the world consisted of only two, him and the mysterious pink-haired young girl.

Nevertheless, good moments never lasted. The girl suddenly disappeared inside the tower, and with that, the man was brought back to the harsh reality. He cursed his luck, stepping forward. The girl would surely freak out, but he had no choice but to climb the tower. More like attempt to climb. Even though it was made of bricks, relying on the small holes between the stones to move upwards was a difficult task. Regardless, he did not want to give up, ignoring the new cuts appearing on his hands, and the many times he fell to the ground hissing in pain. This man’s determination was admiring enough it could impress a king. He was not in front of one though. A mere tower would not simply shrink in fascination for the efforts he was making.

Eventually, his spirit died. It was obvious since he took forever to stand up after what seemed to be his tenth fall. The young man was worn out. The cuts on his hands stung and his legs throbbed immensely. There was no way he could move a muscle, let alone climb a tall tower. This was a lost case, he pitifully thought.

The next thing he knew, a tangle of pink hair fell from above. He jolted, then glanced up in surprise. The young girl was back, staring down at him. Never in his life did he see such long hair. It was breathtaking, not to mention the fact that this girl was willing to help a complete stranger.

“Hurry! Use my hair to climb!”

She shouted at him. That was enough to shock him up from whatever daydream he was having. The young man rushed to climb. It was not as hard as before, but he still climbed slowly due to the exhaustion he was suffering from.

Then, the impossible occurred. The young man had suddenly found himself being pulled up at an amazing speed that it was only a few seconds before he stumbled inside the room the girl occupied.

When she made sure the window was shut, the girl let out a sigh of relief. She noticed a group of men had finally appeared but paid them no mind as she turned around to face the stranger she had just saved. He was sitting cross-legged on the ground, daring not to mutter a word until he managed to fill his lungs with enough air.

“Surely those men chasing you will give up and leave after a while.” Even though the girl was speaking to him, the man’s mind could not decipher a single word she was saying. Her voice was something of another world. One he found himself getting addicted to despite that they had just met. It was similar to a melody one could play on repeat for as long as they wanted without getting sick of it. Soon enough, the girl stood in front of him. She only continued speaking when they locked eyes.

“Once they do, please leave.”

Strangely, the man did not feel unwelcomed. Sure, the girl was not a fan of him being here, that much was obvious. If the pout her lips drew, was any indication. There was something though. She seemed a bit distressed, like he was not supposed to find the girl, let alone be with her.

The moment he trusted his body to function properly now that it rested enough, the young man stood up. He looked around the tiny room finally realizing something important that he completely missed.

“You’re alone?” He asked, eyes wide for a reason.

The girl nodded in a slow motion, to which his shock increased.

_Did this young girl pull a 141 pounds man all by herself?!_

“Does it hurt?” Her question took him by surprise at first, simply because he was not sure what she meant by _it._ The girl understood his confusion, and pointed at his hands. He raised both for a better view, and finally got her question. The young man shook his head, chuckling a bit before talking.

“These cuts? Not at all! I will be fine as long as I clean them up later.”

If the girl was convinced, she did not show it. The man had this urge to ask questions, like how was she able to pull him up as fast as she did or why was she living in the middle of nowhere and far away from the town. He decided against it though. His presence alone was enough of a hassle to the girl that he did not wish to sound intrusive on top of it.

“I-I...” He stuttered, gazing at her eyes that he just noticed were pink too. “I’m Alibaba!”

Alibaba wanted to appear cool when introducing himself. Stuttering and gazing like a fool for longer than necessary did not help though. He was too into his inner turmoil he barely heard the girl’s response.

_Morgiana_. A name that had a nice ring to it. Alibaba was amused. He threw in one of his best cheeky smiles. “Lovely meeting you, Morgiana.” _If only it was under better circumstances_. Alibaba muttered, but it went unheard by the girl.

He raised a hand for her to shake. Morgiana hesitated, not knowing what to do. Was she allowed to shake his hand? Was she worthy of such an interaction? Too many questions flew around her head like mad bees. She was never treated as an equal. The words tool and creep had been engraved profoundly in her mind for years. Morgiana had sunk too deep in the dark sea of self-worth looking for answers. She had spent too much time searching that she did not realize it was the cause of her sorrow. As a result, she stopped thinking as a human, and accepted the role given to her from a young age, _a mere tool_.

Alibaba did not think much of her conflict, simply believing Morgiana was just overwhelmed. Not that he could blame her. He lowered his hand but avoided showing any signs of disappointment.

Clearing his throat, he finally spoke. “I will leave as soon as I can.” He promised. He could swear he saw her shoulders hunching downwards in reassurance. Whether it was from relief that he did not comment on her impoliteness or because of his promise to leave, Alibaba was not sure. He backed up a bit so he could look out the window. Truth be told, he was not eager to leave. Instead, he wanted to get to know Morgiana better. There were so many things he wished to hear an explanation of.

Alibaba unconsciously heaved a sigh while staring out the window. He could not see a thing from where he stood, so it was a pointless act. Yet he refused to turn around and look at her lest he lost control over his curiosity. It was like a beast he had to lock inside, unless he wanted to sound like a _real_ intruder. Not that he was not one already.

The next thing Alibaba knew, he was hearing a mantra. He felt a rush of cold air passing through him. Not the worth-shivering kind of cold, but more like a cool breeze, having the effect of water going down a dry throat. Alibaba could not resist the urge to turn around anymore. So he did.

What he saw was the true definition of astonishment. Red flames were engulfing Morgiana while she was repeating some kind of a spell. Those flames were connecting the two of them, hence the quiet and chilly gust he had felt. Alibaba was too amazed by the strange show taking place that he never realized when it had ended. At least not until he heard Morgiana’s weary voice.

“How do you feel now?”

_Complete. Perfect. Refreshed._ “Huh?”

“Your… hands.” She clarified.

Alibaba looked down, and could not stop himself from gaping in surprise. “Woah!” The cuts that stung him previously vanished. Not only that, Alibaba noticed that his whole body was not exhausted anymore. He looked up again.

“ _How?_ ” Was all he could ask next.

Morgiana was about to say something, but the sudden footsteps they heard drew both of their attention towards the door. Morgiana began to shake. It was not quite visible, but Alibaba noticed something was wrong. Whoever was coming to this room, they did not seem like someone Morgiana was fond of.

“Hide!” She whispered in horror, but had no need to worry, as Alibaba’s quick reaction to disappear under the bed was an indication he understood he was not supposed to be here. He had just managed to fit himself under the bed when Morgiana bundled up a bunch of her pink hair and arranged it so it kind of hid most of the gap under the bed. She had just sat down, when the door flew open roughly. There was no time to even come up with an answer to the question she was expecting from her master any minute now.

The woman, showing no signs of being awoken from deep slumber, squinted her eyes in suspicion.

“Morgiana dear, have you just used your power?” It was finally out in the open. Thankfully, Morgiana’s instincts were on high alert.

“I was practicing.” She blurted out.

The woman raised her brow in confusion. “Practicing?”

Morgiana nodded. “I think I could use my ability more efficiently if… if I practice more.”

The woman hummed in response, finding that promising. Yet that did not last. As her features suddenly took a turn, followed by a long stride that covered the distance separating her from Morgiana in less than 3 seconds. She wasted no time yanking her by the hair.

“Foolish girl! What if you broke?” Morgiana flinched; completely terrified, as this was not the kind of reaction she had hoped to see. Did she expect praise? She was only hoping Alibaba would not interfere and stay hidden.

“Your power, no, your existence is for one purpose, dear Morgiana, to serve me. Do not even dare to try any strengthening methods behind my back lest you lose this power for good.” Morgiana yelped the moment her master raised her hand even higher that she had to stand to lessen the pain she was feeling from the pull.

“Never use your power unless I say so, understood?” The woman spat in despise.

“Yes, master.”

A yank, “I cannot hear you!”

Morgiana cried, “Yes master!”.

Finally, the woman pushed her away heartlessly. She cursed and spat all the way towards the door, but none of the insults had been registered in Morgiana’s brain as she curled up on herself in pain.

Moments after the door was shut, and when Alibaba thought it was completely safe to come out, he drew himself from under the bed, pushing the jumble of hair away gently. One thing stood up to him after what happened. That Morgiana did not deserve such treatment. _No one_ deserved such treatment. What words could possibly calm the young girl down? He was merely a stranger. Comforting words coming from him would further imply it was out of pity. Sure, Alibaba was utterly confused. Not only did he meet a girl who was physically strong, but she also had some kind of _healing_ power. Something that woman claimed to be hers alone. Even _worse_ , she claimed _Morgiana herself_ was hers, like some kind of… _thing_.

Before Alibaba got the chance to show he cared for the girl, Morgiana had raised her head and stared right into his soul. She did not despise him, no. Such an idea did not fit quite right. She, however, looked like she had had enough.

“Leave… please.” She begged.

Silence took over the stage they were acting on afterwards. The play ended the moment Alibaba saw her moving towards the window with a bundle of hair she had collected effortlessly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for chapter 3! :D

Morgiana did not see her life as special. The things she did throughout the day could be counted on one hand. After all, there were few to no activities to do if you were trapped in a tower 24\7. Getting an eyeful of the sunrise and sunset was basically what she considered _fun_ , if she dared think so. One might believe that was pitiful, but Morgiana was not a needy person. She was happy as long as her master did not abuse her too much, which occurred twice a day at most. It had been worse when she was just a child. Morgiana understood her master better now that she made sure not to cross any lines.

Nevertheless, Alibaba climbing the tower and knocking at her window three days after his departure was certainly _not_ an outcome she had foreseen.

Morgiana was bewildered. She had thought they would never see each other again. Yet here he was, grinning _and_ panting at the same time, like a child too eager to tell his mother how his first day at school had gone, excitement eating him alive that being out of breath was the least of his worries.

It was early morning. Her master left not too long ago. On the one hand, Morgiana was hesitant to let him inside. On the other, she was somehow eager to know why he came back. In the end, her heart had won and she stepped back after opening the window so Alibaba could enter. This was the second time she let her heart take control over her desires. The first being when she used her powers to heal his hands despite knowing that will alert her master. It’s puzzling, how she could not ignore this man.

Once inside, Alibaba was casually dusting himself off while Morgiana was closing the window. She turned around, seeing that Alibaba was still shaking off some invisible specks of dust. Was the tower that dirty he had to take so much time to brush himself off? Little did she know panic gripped him like a clingy monkey, hence why he needed something to busy himself with until the flames that were his feelings calmed down.

Breathing in slowly, then out, he finally looked up.

Curious pink eyes were gazing at him sweetly. The side-effect was instant, as heat began to spread in his veins like a virus. Alibaba fought the urge to look away bravely in that single moment they shared.

Fidgeting and looking everywhere but at Morgiana, his lips repeatedly parted. The words were hovering in his brain but never managed to connect and form illegible sentences. Alibaba was not the best speaker. Deeply, he was grateful Morgiana was putting up with his awful communication skills.

The quietness extended between the two, seconds stretching to minutes. As much as Morgiana was used to the silence since she did not have a healthy relationship with her master for them to communicate, she did not like how long Alibaba was taking. The suspense was irritating her, but worry of her master’s sudden return outweighed that.

Just when her lips had drawn in a thin line, a sign of having enough, Alibaba let out an embarrassed laughter. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, and scratched behind his head.

“It is funny.” Morgiana gave him the look, to which he sputtered, “My heart ushered me to come back, but I just realized I foolishly followed its wish without giving my mind any time to make sense of it.”

Morgiana stayed quiet, preferring to pass the mic to Alibaba so he could take control over this conversation, now that he got ahold of himself. Or so she hoped. Besides, she was not a talkative person.

“I just wanted to…”, He sent a timid glance, for he wanted to make sure he would not miss any change to that expressionless look of hers; inspecting her like a detective studying a criminal for any weak points.

Not even a twitch.

“…come back here.”

He nervously shifted his footing again, suddenly interested in his surroundings. The room was tiny. There was only a single bed with an uncomfortable looking old blanket that was folded tidily on top of it. A couple of rough worn mats covered the wooden floor, which creaked in a hush whenever someone moved around. There were no other furniture pieces except for a sad looking chair thrown carelessly in one of the corners, as if forgotten. Those were the only things he managed to make note of. The rest were not worth mentioning Alibaba nearly thought they were not of real value even to the owner of this tower. He wondered if Morgiana had any belongings at all. The room did not have any kind of storage units apart from a few boxes he had doubted was even usable.

“You should leave.”

Alibaba whipped his head in a second, eyes widening. “Leave?”

Morgiana nodded. She bent down and started to collect as much of her hair as she thought was necessary.

“B-But I just came.”

Morgiana walked towards the window, a ring of pink hair circled her arm. “Yes, without a goal.” She was not trying to be sarcastic. Morgiana never understood emotions, so her line was said in a matter-of-fact kind of way.

She raised her free arm to open the window just when Alibaba blurted out the first thing that crossed his mind. “Let’s hang out!”.

Morgiana’s arm fell to her side as she turned around in confusion. “Hang…out?” It was a genuine question, but Alibaba misunderstood it for displeasure.

“If…If you..” He fumbled for the right words, like a child practicing a word he had just learnt. Eyes examining nothing in particular, he concluded, “want of course…”

Morgiana felt intrigued. This stranger’s presence stirred her soul. She was not stupid enough not to realize her existence was supposed to be a secret, if being trapped in a stranded tower with shackles clutched on her ankles was any indication. Yet, it thawed her to the point she actually allowed such an interaction to drag.

“I w-will leave if─”

“What do you mean by ‘hang out’?”

Alibaba was bewildered his mouth was agape. Then realization hit him. Morgiana was different. She was probably isolated for so long such words were new to her. He smiled brightly, to which Morgiana’s confusion increased. Without any warning, he began to laugh. To Morgiana, it did not seem as if he was making fun of her. Perhaps he was caught by surprise he could not prevent the laughter from getting away. What stunned her was the cause behind his chuckle.

“Sorry,” he began, soon after he took a moment to collect himself, “It means to have fun together, do things we will both enjoy, you know?” He explained.

“Fun…” She muttered, deep in thought.

“I know! How about reading something together!” Alibaba offered, beaming. He had just the perfect thing in mind.

Morgiana shook her head apologetically, “I never learnt how to read.”

Alibaba waved at her nonchalantly, “It is fine, Morgiana, for I can read.”

“Will that… be fun?” She asked with a blank face. Alibaba nodded eagerly, the smile never leaving his face one could believe he was born with it. “Of course!

Alibaba did not ask himself whether such an activity would be interesting for someone that never left one place for as long as they could remember. Nevertheless, taking her outside for strolls so Morgiana could explore would be too risky and she was already taking a huge gamble just letting him be here.

They just had to be careful, right?

“You’re probably scared of your master finding out, but worry not! It will be fine.” He promised. The look of confidence in his eyes calmed her anxious heart for some unknown reason but more than anything, she was thankful he understood how worried she had been ever since he stepped inside.

“I have spent the last three days studying your master’s routine. She leaves at dawn and does not come back until sunset. We have plenty of time to hang out!” He continued, to which Morgiana could not mutter a word.

Never, did Morgiana imagine someone would show up one day and treat her kindly. To treat her as an equal, like she was not worthless. She was too bewildered she could not stop herself from making sure this was not some kind of a cruel dream.

“You did that… for _me_?”

Alibaba wasted no time in nodding. He noticed how much that act of his confused her. He himself was not sure why he was doing this in the first place. He was acting completely impulsive

He laughed awkwardly, “I know it is strange. But Morgiana,” He closed the distance between them, beamed at her, then spoke up. “You don’t need a reason to help someone.”

Alibaba started to scratch his neck nervously, as if the room’s temperature suddenly increased, or he assumed it was because Morgiana was only a few inches away from where he stood. Morgiana did not blink, let alone show any signs of shyness. She was sincerely waiting for him to talk. It rather gave Alibaba the push he needed to say more.

“I want to cheer you up.” _I want you to be free._ “I want you to smile.” _I don’t want you to cry again._

Regretting the words he just blurted out, thinking he crossed some imaginary line, he chuckled and took a step back. He was only giving his heart a chance to pour out its feelings, but somehow it all felt out of place. Alibaba had no reason to do that, but he had no reason _not_ to do it either. He was aware this emotional fight between his voice of reason and his heart had ended, resulting in the latter coming out victorious. Besides, he simply wanted to know more about this girl, so spending some time with her was his first step in gaining her trust. For what did he need that, though? That was something he was unsure of still.

Morgiana accepted to hang out with him after what seemed like an eternity of thinking. She did however demand he did not stay more than one hour, to which Alibaba agreed without any complains. He was ecstatic that she complied with his request that he immediately left, promising Morgiana that he would return tomorrow around the same time with the stories he intended to read with her.

That was Morgiana’s new ritual. Instead of looking out the window absently, she would eagerly wait for Alibaba’s return every day. The stories he told her were fascinating. She had figured she was missing out on a lot of things, since she was not allowed to leave the tower, and she had never thought this would change one day. Throughout these stories, she experienced so many things. Morgiana, while listening to Alibaba, imagined herself as a traveler who was witnessing those various events from afar. It helped her be part of worlds she had never dreamt of living in.

Morgiana was grateful to Alibaba. She truly was. However, she did not wish for those feelings to stay hidden, for she wanted to express them by words. It was why she found herself stopping Alibaba one time from continuing the story he was telling her. In her mind, she thought doing so would come out naturally. Based on all the stories she had heard so far, Morgiana guessed expressing gratitude would not be hard. Yet her mouth was drawn in a thin line as soon as Alibaba stopped talking and looked up from the book he was reading from.

 _Thank you._ Just two simple words. They were enough to show how thankful she was to him. The words refused to come out though, like they were mocking her for thinking they would compare to Alibaba’s blinding kindness. It was true in fact. No one would dare go this far for a complete stranger. A slave no less. Alibaba said he did not need a reason to help others, but Morgiana knew it required a lot to do this much for them.

Like a fish gasping for air because it was out of water, Morgiana opened and closed her mouth hoping she could thank him but to no avail. In the end, she lowered her gaze downwards, suddenly interested in looking at her clenched hands in her lap.

“Is something wrong, Morgiana?”

The next thing she knew, Alibaba had put the book aside, and drew himself closer, as if to inspect an injury. “Are you okay? You seem nervous.”

Only a couple of seconds passed until he gasped in realization, straightening his back by leaning back. “Oh! Should I leave? I was too immersed in this story because it was my favorite that I did not notice the time!” He hurriedly inserted his book inside his bag, preparing to leave. Morgiana raised one hand in protest, to tell him that was not why she stopped him in the first place, but something was blocking her from speaking. Was it because she was feeling overwhelmed from this sudden urge to thank Alibaba? Maybe she needed some time alone to collect herself. Maybe if he left and she calmed down, she could think of a better way to show her gratitude.

“I am sorry,” he giggled after securing his bag, “Time seriously flies when I am with you.” He glanced upwards to face Morgiana, who was now looking at him. “I wish we could do more than just listening to stories. Like, we could go out and explore the forest, or go back to my hometown so you could meet new people, and look at the various shops there.” He went on rambling about the many activities they could do together. Alibaba told her a lot about his hometown, his friends, and the people he dealt with through his business, for she knew he was a traveling merchant. Truthfully, just listening to his stories, fictional or about his own life, was more than enjoyable to her. To jump from watching the sunset and sunrise alone daily, to hanging out with someone as kind as Alibaba and hearing about his adventures was a huge step in her life.

“Maybe…” Alibaba started. His gaze was glued to his lap now, and Morgiana wondered why he grew serious.

He continued, “Maybe we could one day.”

A minute passed. Then Alibaba shook his head, as if disagreeing with himself. “No…” He looked at Morgiana again. She was mesmerized by the confidence that was shining in his eyes.

“You _will_ be able to go out one day, Morgiana.”

He finally stood up, not giving her any chance to understand what he meant by that. No, she understood him, but she could not understand why he believed it was even possible.

Morgiana watched him walk back to the window, open it, then turn around with that sweet smile of his. She realized belatedly that she did not collect a jumble of her hair for him to use to climb down, so she got herself to work, though a bit awkwardly for some reason she failed to grasp. She heard Alibaba chuckle, then an apology for using her hair as a rope. He always apologized even though Morgiana clearly told him it was fine. He did bring a rope the day he came back after they planned for their reading session, but it was a bit short for him to use. Either way, Morgiana would insist he used her hair, as it was that long for a reason after all. Still, it filled her chest with a warm tickling feeling that she could not name.

Morgiana walked towards the window and threw her hair outside then stepped aside so he could get out. To her surprise though, Alibaba did not move. Instead, he stared downwards, deep in thought. She asked if something was wrong but Alibaba shook his head no. Morgiana looked down next, unsure of what she should do. Was she supposed to ask again or just patiently wait for Alibaba to either explain himself or climb down?

Suddenly, a hand invaded her vision, shattering her line of thoughts. Alibaba outstretched his hand, palm upwards. She glanced up in confusion.

Just when she wanted to ask what he wished for he to do, Alibaba leaned forward until he managed to grip her hand. She flinched, but did not drew back. He kept looking at their hands for a couple of seconds, content in the silence engulfing both of them, like he wanted their emotions to materialize and reveal in whichever way how they felt. Even Morgiana herself was unable to say anything lest she ruined this moment, whatever it was.

A squeeze brought Morgiana back from the spell she was under before he let go. She somehow believed so much was said during that moment. So much that no words would be enough to describe it perfectly. Morgiana looked at Alibaba, and she noticed he was smiling gently.

“Sorry. I just…” a sigh. Morgiana could not stop her cheeks from growing hot and because she did not understand why she suddenly felt… off, she blamed the sunrays coming from the open window.

“Anyways, I will leave now. See you tom─”

“Thank you!”

Alibaba widened his eyes in surprise.

Oh. _Oh_ … She finally said those words. They were out before she could stop them. Instincts took control of every fiber of her being again she sincerely believed she could not do anything unless they did.

“F-For what?” Alibaba stuttered, a little taken back.

She took a deep breath, and fought the urge to shrug. She had to talk more. Alibaba must know how much she wanted to thank him.

“For everything.” She started.

Alibaba knew that was not the end of it, so he stayed silent, giving her all the time she needed to speak up.

Fidgeting, but never looking away, Morgiana continued.

“For spending time with someone like me. For telling me all those stories. For talking about the outside world. For teaching me so many things. For…”

A pause. There was one thing she just realized she liked and was grateful for. However, Morgiana was not certain she could talk about it. She never thought she was capable of actually saying more than the two words she had found so hard to let out in the first place.

“Morgiana?” Alibaba encouraged her to say whatever she wanted to say last. Sure enough, she managed to gather the remnants of her resolve soon after he called for her name. Alibaba’s presence left such a strong impact on her that she found herself saying and doing things she never dreamt of being able to say or do.

“For being here. With me” She raised the hand Alibaba had touched moments ago, “for holding my hand.”

A gentle chuckle drew her attention upwards again, and the next thing she knew, her hand was being held again, firmly this time, unlike before when she felt Alibaba was hesitant to touch her.

“You are welcome, Morgiana!” He squeezed her hand again and it sent a chill down her spine.

“Thank you, for accepting my offer in the first place.”

Their hands stayed tangled for the next few minutes they spent in silence. Morgiana was too nervous to say anything. Besides, she felt like she had used all of her energy to express her feelings, something she did not do before because her master never allowed her to speak up more than necessary.

“I guess, I should really go now, huh?” He asked her. She failed to notice the hidden message he wanted to convey from the way he spoke. _Should I really go?_ Was the real question. But Alibaba kept that bottled up inside.

Morgiana nodded. She lost sense of time, but it was best for him to leave anyway. If she wanted those secret meetings to continue, she had to be careful.

A smile showed up across his lips. He squeezed her hand one more time for good measure, then reluctantly let go. This time, and true to his words, he jumped on the edge of the window and flipped his body around so he was facing Morgiana. He did not climb down still though, and she thought that maybe he had more to say.

Alibaba cleared his throat, shoving down a lump. “I will come back tomorrow.” He laughed, mocking the way he stated the obvious. Morgiana did not mind though. In fact, she found his promise reassuring and she was thankful.

“See you tomorrow.”

He nodded.

Alibaba gripped her hair. His pupils were in a state of a rush, glancing right and left repeatedly. A sign of uncertainty. It was then, that he finally questioned himself about the most important fact of all.

Until when would this continue? Until her master would find out? Until his business would force him to travel somewhere far away that he might never see Morgiana again? Would he risk losing the one person his heart did not want to leave behind?

Alibaba strengthened his grip on those pink strands of hair. He locked eyes with Morgiana, who silently stared back with a blank look.

 _I will make a difference. I promise._ That was what he was muttering to himself while finally climbing down the tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reading sessions was an idea inspired from one of the extra omake chapters in the manga (forgot which one tho) But in it, Alibaba was telling a story (related to the series itself), and the other characters wanted him to stop lest he spoiled something, so they asked Morgiana to do that. Instead, Morgiana was too into Alibaba's story she continued to listen in awe. Alibaba was so thankful she did he actually mentioned her as one of the characters in that story, praising how strong she was, to which she blushed. It was so cute!!! <3
> 
> Anyways, writing this chapter was so enjoyable! Truth be told, it was not even part of the story, but I thought I needed a chapter in which the characters' relationship develops, so yeah~ Hope you enjoyed reading it! The next one will be the last!


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